By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post  

Kokanee salmon snagging season begins today, Oct. 1 at Navajo Lake and Eagle Nest Lake.  

Kokanee salmon are a landlocked form of sockeye salmon that spend their entire life cycle in freshwater  rather than migrating to the sea. Originally native to the Pacific Northwest  they have been stocked in lakes throughout the Western United States. 

Like other species of Pacific salmon kokanee live for three years and in their fourth year spawn and then die. During spawning they gather in large schools Male kokanee undergo dramatic physical changes. Their sides turn bright to brick red in color. Their jaws extend and become deeply hooked with lots of sharp teeth. 

Because they are about to die to make use use of them a special snagging season was established. The daily bag limit for salmon is increased to 12-per -day and the possession limit 24-per-angler. Methods other than traditional fishing techniques may be used. 

The most popular method is snagging. Heavy rods, heavy lines and heavily weighted treble hooks are utilized. The hooks are cast out into the schools of salmon and retrieved. The intent is to impale the salmon on the hooks. They are often hooked in the back or along their sides. 

Navajo Lake has developed into the most consistent and successful kokanee fishery in the state and draws crowds of anglers during snagging season. Snagging season extends until December 31 

Some snagging occurs at Eagle Nest Lake  but success has been sporadic at best. However, the kokanee here average larger in size. The state-record kokanee of five pounds was caught at Eagle Nest. 

Heron Lake near Tierra Amarilla used to be the premier kokanee fishing lake in the state. Low water levels in recent years and predation by lake trout has had a negative effect and recent seasons have seen limited success for snaggers 

The State Department of Game and Fish still utilizes Heron Lake as a source of kokanee salmon eggs for restocking the lakes. The eggs are harvested and fertilized at the lake, then taken to nearby Los Ojos Fish Hatchery where they are hatched and raised. The salmon are stocked later in the late winter and spring as small fry. 

Because of this, snagging season at Heron Lake does not begin until Nov. 9 to allow for the Department to harvest enough eggs. It also ends Dec. 31. 

Streamflows are now at a good level for fishing in the upper Chama, Pecos and the Rio Grande. The water quality of the San Juan River remains good because of the cold water released from below Navajo Dam. 

Fenton Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. The fishing has been slow. Conditions here have improved. It was stocked Aug. 28 with 270 Rio Grande cutthroat trout averaging 14.5 inches in length. Fenton Lake was stocked Sept. 25 with 655 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. Fishing pressure can get heavy. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of a five trout daily bag limit. Fishing from a float tube or kayak may be your best bet. Call 575.829.3630 for current conditions. 

The Rio Cebolla flows into and out of Fenton Lake. It was stocked Sept. 19 with 400 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout above Fenton Lake.

The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open to anglers 11 Years of age and younger. It was stocked Sept. 25 with 494 rainbow trout. There are also some wild brown trout and a few Rio Grande cutthroats. It is north of Fenton Lake.

The Jemez River streamflow was 13.1 cubic-feet-per second. This is higher than last week and below normal. It has been stocked with rainbow trout and has wild brown trout.

The tributaries of the Jemez River have been stocked with rainbow trout. The Rio de las Vacas, San Antonio River and Rio Guadalupe also have wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Rio San Antonio was stocked Sept. 25 with 611 rainbow trout.

Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It was stocked twice Sept. 17 with a total of 3,551 rainbow trout. The water here is cooling down. It also has brown trout. The state-record rainbow trout was caught here. It is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Monday. Call 505.351.1438 or visit blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation-area.

The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the Rio Grande at Pilar. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Sept. 24 with 1,999 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout, northern pike and smallmouth bass.

From the Colorado border to the Taos Junction Bridge the limit is two trout per day on the Rio Grande.  Streamflow was 229 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is lower than last week and below normal. The Rio Grande  Gorge above Pilar was stocked Sept. 24 with 251 rainbow trout. 

The streamflow on the Rio Pueblo near Penasco was 10.1 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and just a little below normal. It was stocked Sept. 25 with 1,999 rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout. 

The streamflow on the Red River was 55.7 cubic-feet-per-second below Questa. This is lower than last week. It was stocked Sept. 18 with 700 rainbow trout and has wild brown trout. 

The Red River above Questa was stocked Sept. 9 with 2,900 rainbow trout. The streamflow was 35.3 cubic-feet-per-second. 

The Red River Hatchery Pond is open again. It was stocked Sept. 18 with 799 rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years-old or younger and 65 years-old or older. 

The West Fork and the East Fork of the Red River were each stocked Aug. 27 with 299 rainbow trout. 

Goose Lake, a high-elevation lake near Red River, was stocked Aug. 8 with 449 rainbow trout. 

Fawn Lake at the Fawn Lake campground south of the town of Red River was recently stocked, according to anglers. 

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa was stocked Sept. 26 with 501 rainbow trout. 

The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal opened July 1 for fishing.  They were stocked Aug. 15 with 500 rainbow trout. 

Cabresto Lake a high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive, has good fishing for wild brook trout and wild cutthroat trout. 

Abiquiu Lake is managed by the Corps of Engineers. The fishing has been fair for smallmouth bass walleye, crappie and catfish. Anglers are starting to catch some small largemouth bass. Most are under legal size. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu. Camping by reservation. Call 505.685.4371 for more information. 

The streamflow in the Chama River below Abiquiu Dam was 143 cubic-feet-per-second. This is below normal and the same as last week. It was stocked Sept. 17 with 1,116 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-trout-per day. 

The Canjilon Lakes near Canjilon were stocked Sept. 17 with 501 Rio Grande cutthroat trout. They were stocked Sept. 25 with 1,120 rainbow trout averaging 13 inches in size. There are also some brook trout. 

The Trout Lakes near Cebolla were stocked Sept. 24 with 549 rainbow trout. The road to these lakes can be rough when it rains. 

Laguna del Campo, a small lake near Los Ojos, was stocked Sept. 17 with 554 rainbow trout. Fishing is for anglers 11 years-old or younger and 65 years-old or older.  

Heron Lake State Park is open. Fishing for rainbow trout has been fair. Fishing for carp is good. El Vado Lake State Park is closed for construction. Call 575.588.7470 for information.  

The streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 146 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and below average. It was stocked Sept. 4 with 234 Rio Grande cutthroat trout. It was stocked Sept. 17 with 4 801 sub-catchable and  554 catchable-size rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here. 

The streamflow above El Vado Lake was 61.9 cubic-feet-per-second at La Puente. This is higher than last week and a little below normal. This is still an excellent flow for fishing. It was stocked Sept.17 with 1,046 rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 23 with 10,001 sub-catchable rainbow trout. It has wild brown trout. 

The streamflow in the Rio Brazos was 22.6 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week and a little below normal. It was stocked Sept. 17 with 554 rainbow trout. 

Over in the Four Corners the fishing has been good at Navajo Lake State Park. Trolling minnow imitating lures like Rapalas could produce a trophy brown trout. The kokanee salmon are starting to school in deeper water near the dam. Check at the Marina for the depth they may be caught at. Currently about 70 feet. Navajo Lake has the best fishing for kokanee salmon in New Mexico. Kokanee salmon snagging season begins Tuesday (Oct. 1). The best snagging is normally in the area around Navajo Dam. The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. Bass fishing has been fair. Camping by reservation only. Boating conditions are good. Call 505.632.2278 for more information. 

The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is the best river in New Mexico and well-known in the angling world. The streamflow was 609 cubic-feet-per-second. This is lower than last week. It has world-class fly-fishing for big trout. 

The first four miles of river below the dam is known as the Quality Water. Angling is strictly Catch-and-Release using artificial flies and lures with a single barbless hook. The Quality Water is stocked with small rainbow trout that grow quickly. It was stocked Sept. 23 with 12,390 sub-catchable rainbow trout. 

There are also big, wild brown trout. Some of these brown trout would shatter the state record if they could be kept and weighed 

The Bait Water below the Quality Water has good fishing, and a five-fish limit may be kept here. There are big brown trout here too. It was stocked Sept.18 with 2,294 catchable-size rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 22 with 60,771 sub-catchable rainbow trout. 

Hopewell Lake is a small, high elevation lake between Tierra Amarilla and Tres Piedras. It has stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout. There have been some nice brookies caught. It was stocked Sept. 9 with 1,639 rainbow trout. Algae growth has gotten heavy here, hampering bank fishing. 

Placer Creek, which flows into and below Hopewell Lake, was stocked July 15 with 1,250 fingerling brook trout.  

The Lagunitas Lakes were stocked Sept. 11 with 1,500 rainbow trout. 

The Rio de los Pinos north of Tres Piedras near the Colorado border has good fishing. It was stocked Sept. 11 with 1,840 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout. There are brook trout in the headwaters. 

Eagle Nest Lake State Park has been good for rainbow trout. This is a big fertile lake that can produce large trout. It was stocked Sept. 25 with 8,865 rainbow trout averaging 8.9 inches in length. 

There are also northern pike, yellow perch and an occasional kokanee salmon. The state-record kokanee was caught here. Kokanee fishing has been picking up. Kokanee salmon snagging season begins Tuesday (October 1). Snagging success is usually sporadic at Eagle Nest. If you catch a pike at Eagle Nest you have to kill it. You cannot release it back into the lake. Heavy weed growth has been hampering anglers at Eagle Nest. Call 575.377.1594 for more information. 

The Cimarron River at Cimarron Canyon State Park was stocked Sept. 23 with 2,424 rainbow trout. There are also wild brown trout. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 30.8 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week. 

The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Sept. 23 with 400 rainbow trout. 

Lake Maloya in Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton was stocked Sept. 18 with 2,996 rainbow trout. Lake Alice, a smaller lake at the park, was stocked Sept. 18 with 500 rainbow trout. Call 575.445.5607 for more information. 

Clayton Lake State Park was stocked Sept. 25 with 4,000 rainbow trout. The state-record walleye was caught here. This is a trophy bass Lake. The limit is two largemouth bass-per-day. Minimum size is 14 inches. It was stocked Sept. 26 with 8,001 five-inch largemouth bass. There are also catfish. Check out the dinosaur tracks when at Clayton Lake. 

The Charette Lakes between Wagon Mound and Springer have good fishing for stocked and holdover rainbow trout. There are also yellow perch. Lower Charette Lake was stocked June 13 with 2,501 rainbow trout. 

Coyote Creek State Park was stocked Sept. 11 with 800 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked with 598 rainbow trout. 

Morphy Lake near Mora was stocked Sept. 19 with 3,001 rainbow trout. There are a few cutthroat trout here. 

Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas was stocked Sept. 10 with 3,034 rainbow trout. There are also catfish here. 

The Pecos River in Pecos Canyon State Park was stocked Sept. 17 with 3,000 rainbow trout. Fishing has been good for stocker rainbows and wild brown trout. 

The streamflow in the Pecos was 48.3 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little lower than last week and below normal. 

The Mora Fork of the Pecos River was stocked Sept. 24 with 400 rainbow trout. Holy Ghost Creek was stocked Sept. 24 with 400 rainbow trout.  

The Cowles Ponds were stocked Aug. 22 with 184  rainbow trout. 

Cow Creek in the Pecos drainage was stocked Aug. 28 with 499 rainbow trout. 

Monastery Lake near Pecos was stocked Sept. 27 with 1,001 rainbow trout. 

Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is no longer being stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked twice Aug. 29 with 465 18-inch channel catfish. 

Bluewater Lake near Grants has fair fishing for tiger muskies. Trout fishing is slow and there are some catfish here. It was stocked July 8 with 699 tiger muskies. 

McGaffey Lake near Grants was stocked May 16 with 999 rainbow trout. It was stocked Aug. 29 with 135 channel catfish.